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"Anchor us, Rene," he commands, his thrusts turning punishing and driving me to the very edge of the precipice. "Say my name. Ground yourself in me so we survive this."

The word hits me harder than the friction of his body, an archaic syllable that sends a brand-new current of heat rushing deep into my blood. It activates an ancient resonance within us, locking our souls together just as the pressure coils and snaps. My back arches off the stone as lightning fractures through my entire being, a brilliant release of pure, unadulterated power.

"Darius!"

The desperate cry tears loose from my throat, swallowed by his mouth crashing over mine to consume the sound. He follows me over the edge with a shuddering roar against my lips as his own release floods me, hot and pervasive. Pulse for pulse, it seals us together in the quiet dark, cementing the soul-bond in a rush of light that illuminates the dusty alcove.

We collapse against each other, gasping for air, spent and trembling from the heat radiating between our clothed, battered bodies. Darius's heavy weight pins me safely against the carved rock. His chest heaves against mine, his breath hot and damp on my neck. For a moment, we're both too stunned to move, our heartbeats hammering in perfect, synchronized tandem against the ruins, processing the sheer magnitude of what we just built while the ceiling above groans in defeat.

Then he rests his forehead against mine, his hands coming up to gently cup my dirt-streaked face. "Jesus, Rene. That was⁠—"

"Intense doesn't begin to cover it." Tracing the edge of his tactical vest, I marvel at how the bond hums within us now. Every touch sends sparks through the connection.

"It’s… gone," I whisper, breathless.

He runs a soot-stained thumb over my lower lip, gaze locked on mine. "You mean calm."

After a lifetime of discord, my magic exists in perfect harmony, fully aligned. It’s just breathing with him.

I shift against the stone wall, acutely aware of the lingering heat of him. The sensation sends a fresh wave of confidence through me, solid and fierce. I quickly pull my jeans back up, ignoring the grime. There's no time to fix my ruined clothes, and honestly, I couldn't care less.

"You realize we just had sex in what's basically a collapsing supernatural graveyard."

He buckles his belt, eyes finding mine in the dim light. "Your point?"

"No point, merely establishing that our relationship has officially moved beyond 'complicated' into 'completely insane' territory."

"I prefer 'memorable.'"

The ancient magic responds to my amusement, starlight dancing along my fingertips without a single tremor of instability. The power finally answers to me instead of fighting me. I flex my fingers as the energy coils and releases without resistance.

“Malachai's probably wondering where his grand finale went,” I muse, testing the vibrant, crackling edge of power flowing through my veins. It's intoxicating, bringing the pure relief of finally breathing after holding your breath underwater. "Poor bastard's been planning this ritual for decades, and here we are, having relationship breakthroughs in his sacred tomb."

Darius steps closer, his aura balancing the current running beneath my skin. "Think you can blast us out of here?"

I eye the pile of rubble blocking our exit—massive chunks of carved stone and twisted metal that would take a construction crew hours to clear. In their place, I feel the solid thrum of my own heartbeat anchoring the vast reservoir of stellar power waiting patiently for my command.

I roll my shoulders, feeling the magic respond like muscles stretching after sleep. "Morvane, I could move mountains right now and not break a nail."

"Try not to bring down the rest of Chicago with us."

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

I step toward the blocked entrance, power building in my chest. The magic rises smooth and controlled, liquid luminescence cascading down my arms to pool in my palms. "Ready?" I glance back at him.

His gaze turns molten, wolf instincts reading the power radiating from my skin. "Always."

Pivoting back to the rubble, I let the moonlike energy flow.

34

DARIUS

The immense energy shears from her palms, carrying a resonant hum that rattles my jaw as it carves through the rubble, every strike perfectly placed. Stone splits along ancient fracture lines, massive blocks tumbling away from the alcove entrance with thunderous crashes that echo through the collapsing ruins. Dust billows around us as we step through the cleared passage, Serenity's magic crackling along her fingertips in controlled arcs of power.

The chamber beyond extends into shadows punctuated by falling debris. Chunks of carved ceiling rain down in sporadic avalanches, each impact sending tremors through the floor beneath our boots. The air tastes of heavy ash mixed with ancient earth, thick with a metallic tang from the corrupted magic. Checking the perimeter, I let out a breath of relief upon finding the holding cages crushed but empty. Kellan and Lynn successfully evacuated the innocents.

And there, huddled within a localized shield of dark magic at the far end of the cavern, is Malachai Vey.